Ashton Scott

I place my hand on Lorelei’s leg. “I’m sure you two will have a nice dinner, but I can’t do it this week.”

Lorelei’s hand lands on mine. “Next week is good.”

Alessandra smiles as she takes that in before holding her empty wine glass out to me. “Next week it is. I’ll have another drink, Ashton.”

“You’ve already had two, Aly.”

She stares at me. “Your point?”

“Are you planning on staying here the night?”

She shrugs. “I might.”

“Does Malcolm know?” It wouldn’t be the first time she’s spent the night after an argument with her husband, but I’m not in the habit of encouraging it.

Her shoulders tense before she lets out a frustrated breath. “He’s the one who suggested it.”

“Jesus,” I mutter. Usually she’s the one who calls time out. “What happened?”

She moves off the sofa and begins pacing. “He’s being an asshole, Ashton. This isn’t all my fault.” I have to give her credit; she’s self-aware enough to understand her contribution to their arguments. Most of the time.

I don’t reply, but simply wait for her to continue.

She finally stops pacing. “He’s always at work. Always. Nights, early mornings, weekends. And when he is home, he spends most of his time arguing with me. I can’t take it anymore.”

There’s something off here. “None of this is unusual. What’s really going on?”

Her eyes are everywhere but on me and her posture isn’t as confident as usual. I take in the dark circles under her eyes that I missed noticing earlier. She bites her lip and when she speaks, her voice lacks the certainty it usually holds. “He’s got a new assistant…”

I stand and move to her, placing my hands on her shoulders. “Aly, Malcolm adores you.”

Her eyes find mine and I see so much doubt there that it hits me in the gut. This is not my sister. Where the fuck has she gone? “He used to adore me. I feel like we’re strangers half the time these days. We’re both so damn busy with work and the kids.” She glances down for a moment before looking back up at me. Her voice cracks on her next words. “What if I’ve fucked it all up?”

I don’t let her go. “How would you have fucked it all up?”

“I’m not who he married. And I don’t think he likes the person I’ve become.”

Lorelei clears her throat behind us. “Do you want me to go, Alessandra? So you two can talk this through.”

Alessandra shakes her head. “No. We don’t need to talk about this. I just need to get a good night’s sleep and—”

I cut her off as I let her go. “No, what you need to do is talk this out. You’re not going anywhere until we do that.”

/>

Her shoulders sag. “God, I should never have opened my mouth.” She eyes Lorelei. “I don’t want you to go, but I understand if you don’t feel comfortable staying.”

“I’ll make tea.” Lorelei makes her offer as I turn to face her.

“Thanks,” I murmur. She’s never been to my home before, but she leaves us without any further questions. Her take-charge attitude impresses me and I spend a moment watching her go, before turning back to Alessandra. “Are you seriously worried about his new assistant?”

She hesitates for a moment. “I trust him, Ashton, but at the same time, I’m not sure how strong we are anymore.”

I nod at the sofa and once she takes a seat, I sit on the coffee table in front of her. Resting my elbows on my legs, I lean forward and speak the only truth I know. “Aly, you’ve been married to Malcolm for nearly a decade, and you’ve been with him for longer than that. If anyone knows how difficult you can be, besides me, it’s him. But that man loves you more than I’ve ever seen a man love a woman, and I hardly think he’d throw what you two have away for a quick fuck with an assistant.”

Her eyes are wide as she takes that in. “Yes, but yo—”

I shake my head. “I wasn’t finished.” She closes her mouth and sits back a little, waiting for me to go on. “For a smart, accomplished woman, you have insecurities a mile wide. It’s time you sorted through them and started to believe in yourself where Malcolm is concerned. He’s going to grow tired of always having to prop you up.”